Aaron Rai emerges from the pack to win PGA Championship with the final round of his life at Aronimink

Heading into Sunday’s final round of the 2026 PGA Championship, it felt as if it was anyone’s game, because it practically was. An unprecedented 21 players were within four shots of 54-hole leader Alex Smalley, but it was Englishman Aaron Rai who managed to separate from the pack at Aronimink and not look back en route to becoming a major champion.Rai, who entered the week ranked 44th in the world, came out of the gates on Sunday firing, but after making a four-foot birdie putt on the opening hole, he quickly fell into the inevitable stretch every player faced during the final round in having to stay patient and take what the golf course was giving him.After a poor tee shot on the difficult par-3 8th hole, and then airmailing the green with his bunker shot, disaster quickly came into the equation, but the 31-year-old managed to convert a four-foot putt for bogey. It was one of those bogeys that was a momentum saver, and the momentum was used on the very next hole.Rai reached the gettable par-5 9th hole in two and sank a 40-footer for eagle. It was a nice bonus heading into the back nine, which played as the hardest side throughout the week, but Rai didn’t subscribe to that narrative on Sunday.As the entire field and golf tournament as a whole fell into neutral for what felt like multiple hours with the final groups making the turn, Rai stepped on the gas.JIM FURYK SAYS TIGER WOODS WILL HAVE A SPOT ON HIS 2027 RYDER CUP STAFF DESPITE DUI ARRESTAfter picking up another birdie on the par-4 11th, it was his birdie on the 299-yard par-4 13th that he may look back on as the moment.Left with a very dicey bunker shot from 40 yards, Rai had the option of playing it relatively safe and leaving himself 20 or so feet up the hill for birdie. Or, he could fly the golf ball to the hole and bring in a slope falling away from the hole just beyond the flag. He didn’t hesitate and walked off the green with yet another birdie and a two-shot advantage.JON RAHM APOLOGIZES AFTER HITTING VOLUNTEER WITH FLYING DIVOT AT PGA CHAMPIONSHIP: ‘INEXCUSABLE’Despite the 13th hole being drivable for every player in the field, Rai’s birdie actually picked up a shot on plenty of the contenders on Sunday. Nick Taylor, Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele each made bogey on the hole, while Jon Rahm, Patrick Reed, and Smalley weren’t able to take advantage of the short hole either.Rai officially put a hand on the door to slam shut by reaching the par-5 16th hole in two and making one of the more comfortable birdies you’ll ever see, and officially slammed it shut with a 68-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th.Rai played his final 10 holes in six-under par and without a blemish on the scorecard before signing for a 65 and a three-shot victory at nine-under overall.The five-under round marked his lowest score in a major championship by two. A major championship Sunday for the round of your life is special stuff.Rai being the last man standing among the likes of Ludvig Aberg, McIlroy, Rahm, Re